Combined tractor and power plant



March 2,1926. x i-$43M w. BILLINS COMBINED TRACTOR AND POWER PLANT Filed August 50, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheei 1 March 2 1926.

W. BiLLiNS- COMBINED TRACTOR AND POWER PLANT Filed August 30, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 2 19.22%

W. BlLLlNS 'COMBINED TRACTOR AND POWER PLANT s Sheets-Shet 5 Filed August 30 1924 8 noel 1km Patented Mar. 2, 192'.

3: stars.

WALTER IBILLIN S, 0F VIOLA, ARKANSAS.

COMBINED TRACTOR AND POWER PLANT.

Application filed August 30, 1924. Serial No. 735,116.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, VAT/DER BILUNS, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Viola, in the county of Fulton and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Tractors and Power Plants, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to combined trucks, tractors and power plants for farmers use, and has for an object the production of an automobile chassis, associated with means for operating or driving machines such as saws, feed cutters, corn shellers and other machines used by farmers; thus making it possible to utilize the machine as a tractor for pulling farm implements such as harrows, plows or the like, or the device may be provided with a body or bed in which material may be hauled, or when in a stationary position the tractor driving means may be disconnected in orderthat the power of the motor may be utilized for operating saws, feed cutters, corn shellers or the like,

It is a further object of this invention to produce a machine in which plows or cultivators may be drawn, means being provided whereby the tractor can turn practically at right angles from one row into the next, and the device is intended for operating harrows of large type or gang plows; and it can be furthermore employed for pulling headers, binders or mowers in the same way as other tractors are employed for this purpose, or it can be used for drawing planters of corn and cotton with double or single row attachments, as one skilled in the art will understand.

It is a further object of this invention to produce a device of utility in that the front wheels may be permitted comparatively great latitude of vertical movement independently of each other, without liability Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of a com bined tractor and power plant embodying the invention;

Figure 2 illustrates a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1 omitting the motor;

Figure 4L illustrates a sectional view on the line fir-ft of Fig. 1; and

Figure 5 illustrates a detail View of the coupling by which farm implements are connected to the tractor.

In these drawings, 10 denotes a frame, the sides of which are joined together in front by a curved extension 11. Brackets 12 are arranged on the under surface of the frame in which antifricti0n elements 13 such as rollers are rotatably mounted toengage a circular rail or platform 1a which constitutes a support for the frame below the motor.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the circular track 14 has arms 15 forming a spider, and these arms converge at the center of the track and constitute supports for a bracket 16 that is secured to the spider by fastenings 17 such as rivet-s or the like, The bracket 16 is mounted on a horizontal pivot 18 extending longitudinally of the chassis, the said pivot being carried 7 by a bracket 19 secured on the front axle 20 of the chassis. By the arrangement just described, it will be seen that the track 1 1 is mounted for oscillation transversely of the truck and the said track is held yieldably in a horizontal position.

As shown in the drawing, each side of the track is provided with an apertured ear 21 through which a bolt 22 extends, the said bolt having a spring 28 encircling it between the ear and an adjustable nut 24 that may be threaded on the bolt, and by this arrangement, the tension of the spring may be changed so that it will yield to greater or less extent, according to its tension. The bolt has an eye 25 below the ear and a flexible element 26 such as a chain is connected to the eye of the bolt and to the axle 20. This mounting acts as a brace to prevent undue oscillation of the track, but permits it to yield when undue strain is annlied to either side of the track by the tilting of the truck,

A steering chain 27 is connected to the axle near each end and the said chain operates around a drum 28 rotatable with the steer- 4 ing shaft 29, the said steering .shaft extending upwardly and preferably provided with a hand wheel 30 at itswupper end that is within convenient reach of an operator that may be stationed on the seat 31.

The power unit or motor may be of any convention: 1 type located under the hood 32, but as the power plant is an immaterial matter as to detail, the same is not illustrated except conventionally. It is believed sufiicient to say that any suitable drive shaft33- inay lead from the motor to a differential gearof known construction located in the casing 34, and that the shaft or axle 35'-will be driven through-the use of the power shaft and differential, as well as through the use of thetransmission gear that may be located in the casing 36.

The shaft is also provided with a pulley 37 at each end, which may be utilized for driving belts connected to circular or other saws, co-rn shellers, feed grinders or the like; it being understood that when the power is utilized for the purpose indicated, the.tractor-,-to be presently explained, willbe disconnected.

The shaft is also provided with sprocket wheels 38 thatare engaged-by sprocket chains 39 for driving the traction. wheels 40',

the saidtractionwheols being rotatable with be used in connection with long sprocket chains that might be used for operating machinery instead .of' belts. Sprocket chains would beemployed-only where -.-unusual power is to be transmitted, as. under ordinary. .conditions, belts operating over the pulleys will. be found more satisfactory. In

the employment ofthe power plant, the belts to the pulleys'or the chains to the sprocket wheels would extend forwardly and two or morezmaelrines'could be driven at one time,

since provision is made for using two belts or flexible connections between the shaft 35 and the machinery to be operated;

. The cou plin gi by which. =far1n implements may be connected to the tractorwco-inpr'ises. a cable or chain 42 that may be connected to the chassis frame and operates. through a link 4'3 of the draft bar. 424. The draft'.-bar may have clevises, links or other couplings L5 at its ends by which the couplings from the farm: simplementsinay .be' connected. to the draft bar.

A brace-" l'ti at .each sideof the frame has one end anchorcdto the frame and the other end is applied to the: axleor sh'aft 47 of the traction wheel to strengthen the-structure and hold the axle or: shaft in proper'relation to the shaft There-is also abrace 48 extending l ateral ly of the'frame for=-bracing the axles or= sha fts- 47, as fully-shown in Fig. l.

-' I claim:

' In a combined tractor" and powen plant, a fra'-1ne,a front for the-saidtractor, a circular PlilltfOl'lRfQl supporting tl ie front of the frame-,aneans for'oscillatab'ly mounting the platform *the" frontaxl'e, apertured earsprojecting laterally of the frame from the-said p-latferm, a bolt extending through-each ear,- a spring encircling each bolt above the ear; means-on each bolt for forcing a spring' i-nto contact with the ear, and flexible elements connecting the-bolts to the axle whereby the plmform is held irr normal position.

1 'witri'rna KB-IIJLINS. 

